Immigration Status Won't Bar Worker's Claim for Additional PD Benefits

A divided Idaho Supreme Court last week ruled that an undocumented worker can’t be denied permanent disability benefits in excess of his impairment simply because of his immigration status. The court said that a worker’s immigration status is a pertinent nonmedical factor that must be weighed on a case-by-case basis in evaluating a claim for permanent disability. The case was Marquez v. Pierce Painting. Elfego Marquez is a college-educated citizen of Mexico. He came to the United States after a seven-year stint as a school teacher in his native country. Marquez entered the Unit...